Archive · 5 Oct 2026
US Midterms Put 470 Seats and $12 Billion in Play
On November 3, Americans will vote in elections held halfway through a president's term.
Donald Trump is president, but he is not running for an office on these ballots.
Voters will choose members of Congress, governors, and many state lawmakers.
Democrats need to win a few more seats to take control of the House or Senate.
Polls cited in the article show Democrats ahead in a question about which party voters would support for Congress.
Trump's approval ratings vary across surveys, and one poll found more voters said his policies hurt than helped the economy.
Groups that track political ads expect spending to approach $12 billion.
Many candidates are also facing opponents they ran against in 2024.
The November 3 midterms will decide all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, 36 governorships and thousands of state legislative seats.
Democrats need a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats to take control of those chambers.
A September PBS News/NPR/Marist poll found Democrats leading Republicans 53% to 41% among registered voters on congressional choices.
September surveys put Donald Trump's approval between 32% and 41%; 55% of registered voters in an NBC News survey said his policies hurt the economy.
Election advertising for the 2025–26 cycle is forecast to reach roughly $11.6 billion to $11.96 billion, while 44 House races are rematches of 2024 contests.
- Who
- American voters, candidates for Congress and state offices, and President Donald Trump, who is not on the ballot.
- What
- Midterm elections determining control of Congress and filling governorships and state-level offices.
- When
- November 3, 2026.
- Where
- Across the United States.
- Why
- The elections will determine control of Congress and influence the final two years of Trump's presidency.
Democratic prospects
Republican prospects
Control of Congress
Democratic prospects
Democrats need a net gain of three House seats or four Senate seats to take control of a chamber.
Republican prospects
Republican victories would preserve the party's control in Washington; losing two House seats is survivable, while losing three is not.
Voter sentiment
Democratic prospects
The cited PBS News/NPR/Marist poll showed Democrats ahead 53% to 41% among registered voters on congressional candidates, and 57% to 32% among independents.
Republican prospects
The article reports the polling advantage but does not provide a comparable Republican argument or a poll showing Republicans ahead.
Trump's economic policies
Democratic prospects
In an NBC News survey, 55% of registered voters said Trump's policies had hurt the economy.
Republican prospects
In the same survey, 26% said his policies had helped the economy.
- House seats
- All 435 seats are contested; 218 seats make a majority.
- House control
- Democrats need a net gain of three seats based on the 2024 result.
- Senate seats
- 35 seats are being contested: 33 regularly scheduled and special elections in Florida and Ohio.
- Senate control
- Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reach 51; the article says Vice President JD Vance would break a 50–50 tie.
- Governorships
- 36 states are electing governors.
- State legislative seats
- 6,139 seats are regularly contested across 88 of 99 state legislative chambers.
- Advertising forecast
- Estimates for the 2025–26 election cycle range from $11.6 billion to $11.96 billion, with one projected range of $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion.
- Rematches
- 44 House races and 474 contests nationwide are described as rematches of 2024 races.